Article handling and transfer apparatus



March 24, 1953 A. A. KOTTMANN ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed April 10, 1947 l0 Sheegs-Sheet l INVENTOR. Arthur A. Kottmaun ATTORNEYS March 24, 1953 kd v uu 2,632,551

ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER ARPARATUS Filed April 10, 1947 v 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR.

\ Arthur AK0ttntaun ATTORNEY g llll S March 24, 1953 Filed April 10, 1947 March 1953 A. A. KOTTMANN 2,632,551

ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed April 10, 1947 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR. Arthur A. Kottmann a? w? H.

ATTORNEYS A A. KoTfMANN ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed April 10, 1947 Maz ch24, 1953 10 Sheeis-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Arthur A. Kottmnn ATTORNEYS .March 24, 1953 A. A. KOTTMANN ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed April 10, 1947 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 I ATTORNEY A. A. KOTTMANN ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS March 24, 1953 1o Shee ts-Sheet 7 Filed April 10, 1947 INVENTOR- flrgthurfl-Kottmmnfi BY II I I ATTORNEYS 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 0 YA T0 H 1 March 1953 A. A. KOTTMANN ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed April 10, 1947 V IN V EN TOR. Arthur A. Kottmnn M K ATTURNEYS March 24, 1953 I KQTTMANN 2,632,551

ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed April 10, 1947 10 Sheets-Sheet l0 5 21 INVENTOR.

hut-A. Kofitmavnn A1 TORNLYS Patented Mar. 24, 1953 ARTICLE HANDLING AND TRANSFER APPARATUS Arthur A. Kottmann, Davenport, Iowa, assignor to The Bettendorf Company, Bettendorf, Iowa, a corporation of Maryland Application April 10, 1947,-Serial No. 740,542

7 Claims. (Cl. 198-27) This invention relates to article handling apparatus and more particularly to apparatus of such character for use in processing or advancing articles of food such as bread loaves into and through a slicing machine.

In the handling of bread loaves and similar articles in present day food processing plants or bakeries, speed and accuracy have become of considerable importance. These objectives must be attained, however, without sacrifice in the quality of the finished product and with a minimum of labor and hazard to the worker. The slicing of baked loaves prior to the packagin thereof is being accomplished with increased accuracy and speed by the use of endless band blade type Ina-- chines of the type shown, for example, in my prior Patent 2,379,911, issued July 19, 1945. The present invention aims to provide a generally improved article handling apparatus particularly I tions. .It is .is sometimes desirable, however, to

provide a flat or horizontal loading conveyor onto which articles may be initially deposited by the operator and from which the articles are thereafter metered through an escapement or shuttle device for movement, one at a time, .into other article advancin mechanism. In such applications it remains desirable, nevertheless, to pro vide for gravity assisted movement of articles off the loading or infeed conveyor and into the shut tle carrier or escapement and the present invention seeks to provide such an arrangement.

In a mechanism for advancing articles and which includes an endless belt infeed or loading conveyor and a flight type conveyor in combination with a shuttle or escapement for transferring articles one at a'time from the infeed conveyor to the flight conveyor, it becomes expedient to vary the speed of the belt type infeed conveyor with respect to the flight cycle of the flight conveyor so that the apparatus can be adjusted to accommodate articles of different sizes with 'a mini-mum of slippage of the articles on the infeed conveyor. The present machine provides for variation of the speed relationship between the conveyors and utilizes relatively constant cyclic speed for the flight type forwarding conveyor and adjustable drive connection for actuating the infeed or loading conveyor fromthe forwarding conveyor so that the loading conveyor may be operated at any one of several speeds. The adjustment of the apparatus for articles of different sizes provided for herein also includes alteration in the relationship between the movement of the article carrier or shuttle of the escapement means and the position of the flights of the flight type forwarding conveyor.

Amon the numerou improvements that have been incorporated in the apparatus of the present invention are: an infeed or loading conveyor so mounted as to be swingable from an operative position in which it bridges the space between separated members of the supporting frame structure to an inactive position in which it is removed Or withdrawn from the vicinity of the working mechanism .of the machine so that access may be had to the latter for repair and adjustment; an arrangement for actuating the infeed conveyor so that it is automatically connected to the drive means when the conveyor is moved to bridging position between the frame parts and so that the driving connection is automatically interrupted when the conveyor is withdrawn or swung away from bridging position; an adjustable stop disposed in the path of articles received on the shuttle carrier from the discharge end of the infeed or loading conveyor, the stop being mounted on the structural frame of the machine and being arranged for adjustment to accommodate articles of diiferent sizes while the conveyor and shuttle are in continuous operation; an improved booster roller arrangement positioned atthe discharge end of the infeed conveyor between the latter and the reciprocating article intercepting gate which interrupts the movement of the articles off the end of the loading conveyor while the shuttle carrier is transferring the preceding article away from the loading conveyor and into the article advancing mechanism of the apparatus; an improved stationary cross support mounted in the bight or space between the booster roller and the end rotatable element of the infeed conveyor and hav-.

ing lateral fingers which extend through recesses in the booster roller to improve the article transfer characteristics of the device; means forraisring an article of]? the relatively rapidly moving booster roller and outof frictional engagement with the latter while thexgate is in articlearresting position across the dischargeend of the loading conveyor; an improved arrangement for mounting the drums about which are trained the endless cutter bands, includin means for adjustingone of a pair of band supporting drums toward andaway from the other either by bodily shifting of the rotational axis of the drum in a lateral direction or by shifting of one or both ends of the drum toward or away from the other drum; and an arrangement associated with the drum adjustment providing for a factory setting of the blade tension so that in normal use of the apparatus in the field the optimum setting of the blade tension is not ordinarily exceeded even though the blades may be loosened or slackened for cleaning, replacement, and adjustment, the blade tension adjustment permitting alteration of the factory setting in the field by relatively simple manipulation of the parts, if such action becomes necessary, as in the replacement of an entire set of band blades.

Still further objectives of the invention are to provide a generally improved article handling apparatus, particularly adapted for use in connec- 7 tion with bread slicing machines, to simplify such apparatus in design and construction, and to make it relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Other objects and advantages of the invention relating to features of construction and arrangements of parts will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof. This description is made in connection with the accompanyin drawings wherein like parts throughout the several views are indicated by the same numerals of reference.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, with parts omitted and parts broken away, of a bread slicing machine of the endless cutter band type and incorporating article handling and forwarding apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the opposite side of the machine of Fig. 1, parts of the machine being omitted and parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a detail of the upper blade supporting drum and the mounting means therefor, partly in section and with parts broken away or removed, the section being taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and enlarged with respect to that figure;

Fig. 4 is an elevational detail, partly in section of the upper left-hand end of the machine as viewed in Fig. 1 and enlarged with respect to that figure, showing one end of the upper blade drum and the supporting and adjusting mechanism therefor;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail, partly in section and with parts removed, showing the mechanism for manual rotation of the upper blade drum, the section shown being taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 and the crank added;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus, with parts broken away or removed, showing the swingable loading or infeed conveyor. This view is taken substantially on the line indicated at 6-6 of Fig. 1 and enlarged with respect to that figure;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section and with parts broken away or removed, corresponding to Fig. 1 and showing the infeed or loading conveyor in raised position;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail showing the latch for the infeed conveyor prop as taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6 and enlarged with respect to that figure;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical section, with parts removed and with parts broken away, taken through the discharge end of the loading conveyor substantially on the line 9-9 of 4 Fig. 6 and enlarged with respect to that figure;

Fig. 10 is a sectional detail taken substantially 0n the line Ill-l0 of Fig. 6 and enlarged with respect to that figure;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section and with parts broken away or removed, showing the upper left-hand end of the apparatus as viewed in Fig. 2 and enlarged with respect to that figure;

Fig. 12 is a foreshortened fragmentary transverse sectional view through the upper portion of the apparatus taken substantially on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the machine, with parts broken away and parts removed, taken substantially on the line l3-l3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary detail in section through the adjusting mechanism for the article arresting stop, this view being taken substantially on the line I l-l4 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a sectional detail showing the friction brake on the article stop adjustment, taken substantially on the line l5-l5 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a sectional detail through the cam drive for the article arresting gate, this section being taken approximately on the line IB-l'o of Fig. 1;

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary elevational detail partly in section, showing the connections between the main drive of the article advancing mechanism and one of the rotatable elements of the endless belt infeed conveyor. This view is taken substantially on the line indicated at l'I-li of Fig. 18, or the line H-ll of Fig. 6, being enlarged with respect to the latter figure;

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary sectional detail with parts broken away taken substantially on the line indicated at l8-l8 of Fig. 17;

Fig. 19 is an enlarged sectional detail with parts broken away and removed showing the overload release for the shuttle carrier. This view is taken substantially on the line indicated at 19-19 of Fig. 11 and enlarged with respect to that View;

Fig. 20 is a section in detail to the blade tension adjusting means, taken substantially on the line indicated at 28-20 of Fig. 4 and enlarged with respect to that figure;

Fig. 21 is an end view of the overload release device with parts broken away and parts removed taken substantially on the line 2l-2I of Fig. 23 and enlarged with respect to that figure;

Fig. 22 is a sectional detail of the overload release taken substantially on the line 22-22 of Fig. 21, and

Fig. 23 is a diagrammatic plan view showing th driving connections of the apparatus.

The apparatus is assembled as a unitary machine which includes a supporting structure comprising a pair of main side frames I and 2 disposed in spaced generally parallel relation and connected by cross members, one of which is indicated at 3 (Fig. 4), secured in place by bolts 4 threaded into the side frames. The side frames are formed with upwardly inclined elements so that the right-hand end of the structure, as viewed in Fig. l, is lower than the lefthand end. A pair of spaced rotatable drums 5 and 6 are mounted between the upper and lower ends respectively of the side frames and support in side by side relation a multiplicity of crossed endless cutter bands 1.

Midway between the drums 5 and 6 the indiasses-51" vidual runs of the endless band cutters are engaged-by upper guide fingers iland lower guide fingers 9 of a suitable spacing mechanism which may be an adjustable spacing mechanism such as that disclosed in Patent 2,316,200, issued April 13,1943. The spacing mechanism is mounted inaqsubfrarne Iii which is supported between the side frames l and 2.

j The: lower blade drum- 6 is journaled on a shaft l I; and is supported in the side frames so that the drum is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axisf A pulley or sheave l2 secured on the drum 5 at one end of the latter receives a drive belt I4 which is carried around the drive pulley ofan electric motor l5. Energization of themotor thus actuates the lower drum 5 which drives the cutters 7. The ascending and descending runs of the cutters move in opposite directions through the guide fingers 8 and 9 to slice articles such as bread loaves, one of which is indicated at A (Fig. 1), advanced seriation therethrough by the mechanisms to be described.

Drum mounting A considerable tension is maintained in the endless cutters? to-insure a positive drive thereof and to avoid excess play which could result in Whipping and possible overlapping of adjacent blades. Since the cylindrical drums 5 and 5 are customarily made of steel and the cutter blades 1 are of 'a high quality spring steel, it is necessary to provide for precise adjustment of the spacing between the drums and to maintain their axes as nearly parallel as possible. In the present machine the lower drum 3 is mounted in fixed position and the upper drum 5 is made adjustable so that it can be moved bodily toward and away from the lower drum in varying the tension in the cutters .i, and either end of the upper drum may be individually shifted toward and away from the lower drum for adjustment to maintain parallelism between the drum axes.

The upper blade drum 5 is suspended by an arrangement shown to advantage in Figs. 3 and 4. The suspension includes a cross bar or rod H, the ends of which are received in aligned sockets l8 formed in bosses l3 integral with the upper ends of the side frames I and 2. Arms depend from the ends of the rod i1 and have sleevelike hubs 2| which are received on the rod and abut the bosses iii of the side frames. One of the suspension arms 26 is secured on the rod 11 as by a setscrew 22, the other arm being rotatable on the rod. These arms 25, which are disposed at the opposite ends of the upper drum, may be made of steel casting molded in identical form. In assembling the castings in the machine, however, the left-hand arm, as viewed in Fig. 3, is finished differently from the right-hand arm of the same figure. Each arm is formed with an enlarged end 23 which carries one of the stub shafts for mounting the drum. The right-hand arm sus-' pension carries a stub shaft 24 received in a bore 25 formed in the enlarged end 23 and secured in place as by a setscrew 26. The stub shaft 24 has a reduced diameter end portion 21 which is slidingly received in an axial bore 28 formed in main shaft 3d of the drum. The shaft 36 is held on the end 21 of the stub shaft and in abutment with the circumferential shoulder at the end of the reduced diameter portion 21 by an axial bolt 3| which extends through the stub shaft 24 and is threaded into the main shaft 30. Thus, the main shaft is prevented from axial movement so long as the bolt 3| is in place.

Reduced diameter ends on the main shaft 30 receive ball bearing assemblies 32 which are secured in spiders 33 mounted inside the ends of the upper drum 5. The drum thus rotates on the main shaft 30, the latter being held against rotation as by a key 34 set into the reduced diameter end 21 0f the stub shaft 24 and having a head which is received in a cutaway portion in theend of the main shaft.

The large end 23 on the left-hand suspension arm 20 (Fig. 3) is formed with an internal bore 25 which receives an externally threaded retractive stub shaft 35. This stub shaft has a reduced diameter end portion 36 which corresponds to the reduced diameter end 21 of the right-hand stub shaft and is slidingly received in axial bore 28 in the left-hand end of the main shaft. The

' threads on the stub shaft have fiat crests which slide and have bearing engagement against the walls of the cylindrical bore 25 in the suspension arm 20.

To shift the threaded stub shaft axially in the end of the arm, a suitable tool or crank (not shown) is inserted in an axial socket 37 formed in the outer end of the stub shaft and having a cross pin therein. Rotation of the stub shaft in this manner (preferably only after relieving the tension in the bands '1) results in endwise movement thereof byreason of the engagement of the threads in a threaded nut 38 secured by cap screws 39 on the outer face of the enlarged end 23 of the suspension arm. When the threaded stub shaft 35 is withdrawn from the bore 28 at one end of the main drum shaft 39, the drum is supported cantilever fashion on the stub shaft 24. When so supported, the endless cutter bands I may be removed from and replaced on the drum over the left-hand end as viewed in Fig. 3. This arrangement facilitates the removal of the bands for sharpening or for replacement of the bands by a new set, a similar retractable stub shaft being provided for the lower drum 6. When the threaded stu-b shaft 35 is projected into the 'bore 28 of the main drum shaft, the latter is firmly supported at both ends and is swingable about the axis of the crossbar ll.

The swinging movement or angular position of the drum suspension arms 25 on the crossbar I? is controlled by a hollow member or quill 4'!) which is rotatably received over the crossbar 'l Tin telescopic relation thereto. The ends of the quill member 48 are received and supported on reduced diameter portions 6| of the sleeves 2! of the arms 20 and abut the circular shoulders onthe sleeves to space the sleeves along the crossbar I1.

Laterally-extending levers 43 are formed on the ends of the quill member 40 in spaced parallel relation to one another and are each received in recesses 14 formed in the inwardly directed faces or sides of the drum suspension arms20. The extremities of the levers 43 are disposed adjacent the enlarged ends 23 of the suspension arm sand are engaged on opposite sides by aligned adjusting screws 45 threaded through the walls ofthe arm recesses 44. By loosening one of the pair of adjusting screws 45 and tightening the other of the pair in either of the drum suspension arms 20, the relative rotative position of the suspension arm with respect to the lever 43 associated therewith can be adjusted. Thus, by means of the adjusting bolts 45, either end of the upper drum 5 can be shifted toward and away from the bottom drum 6 to vary the relationship between their axes. If desired, both ends of the upper drum may-be-shifted'toward and away from thel'ower drum by means of the adjusting bolts 45 to thereby vary the tension in all of the cutter blades.

The cross member or quill ii] is restrained against rotation to thereby prevent swinging movement of the blade suspension arms by means of an integral arm 46 which extends laterally from a central portion of the quill approximately midway between the end levers 43. The end of the arm 46 is formed with a transverse threaded bore which receives a bearing stud 41. The end of the stud is engaged endwise by an adjusting screw 48 threaded through a central portion of the cross member 3 of the frame supporting structure. By threading the adjusting screw 55 into or out of the cross member 3, the central arm of the quill member may be made to rotate slightly about the cross bar ll thereby imparting a lateral shifting of the upper drum 5. This lateral shifting of the drum operates to increase or decrease the tension in the cutter bands 1.

Blade tension adjustment It has been found that endless band blade slicing machines of the character contemplated herein operate most satisfactorily when the individual cutters are maintained at a certain optimum tension. When slicers of this type are released for commercial use with means provided for varying the blade tension, it frequently happens that inexperienced or uninformed operators will fail to provide sufiicient tension in the cutters or, what is more objectionable, will increase the tension in the blades to an excessive amount. It is, nevertheless, necessary to provide for releasing the blade tension so that cutter bands can be removed and replaced in the machine as they become worn or broken.

The blade tension adjustment of the present invention permits the tension in the individual cutters to be pre-established when the machines are initially assembled. Such factory setting of the blade tension is not then readily increased in the field by inexperienced operators. The

adjusting screw 48 has a square head 56 to receive a suitable tool for turning it in adjusting the blade tension. At the base of the head 50 is a circular flange 5| which is provided with a finished shoulder which seats against a spot face formed about the threaded bore in the cross member 3 which receives the adjusting screw. In initial assembly of the machine at the factory the blade tension is adjusted, with the screw 45 tightened down so that the flange 51 thereof sets against the cross member 3. drawal of the adjusting screw 48 releases the tension in the blades for repair, resharpening, or replacement of the latter, and in tightening the screw 48 to readjust the blade tension it cannot be increased beyond that established by the factory setting.

The factory setting of the blade tension may be done by means of the adjusting screws 45 previously mentioned in connection with the drum suspension arms 20. A preferable adjustment is by means of the bearing stud 41 which can be screwed or shifted axially in the threaded recess therefor in the end of the arm 45. At its end opposite that of the adjusting screw 48 the stud 41 is formed with a head 52 (Fig. 20) of circular shape and is formed with peripheral notches for engagement by a spanner wrench or with coded holes that can be engaged for turning by a special Wrench (not shown). Such a wrench is in use during initial assembly of the Thereafter, withr machine and (as shown in Fig. 4) the close proximity of the runs of the cutters I discourages the use of any other implement to change the setting of the bearing stud 41.

Between the stud head 52 and the end of the arm 46 a knurled nut 53 is received on the threaded stud. This nut is normally held against rotation by setscrews 54. At the time of the initial assembly of the machine, the adjusting screw 48 is tightened down so that the collar 5| thereof is disposed against the spot face of the machine cross member 3. The blade tension is then adjusted and the factory setting established by turning the bearing stud 4'! to provide the desired tension in the cutters l. Thereafter, the knurled locking nut 53 is positioned on the bearing stud so as to permit a predetermined additional rotation thereof, such, for example, as one turn. The setscrews 54 are then tightened to lock the knurled nut 53 in adjusted relation to the stud head 52. In this condition the machine is released to the trade.

In normal maintenance and service of the machine the operator cannot increase the tension in the cutter blades by manipulation of the adjusting screw 48 beyond that established in the factory setting. To provide slight additional drum movement, as when a substitute set of blades is supplied, the bearing stud 41 can be given the predetermined single revolution provided for in the factory setting by means of the spanner wrench or special tool provided for turning the stud head 52. Such wrench or special tool is normally kept in the possession of a responsible individual at the place of use and is not made available to all the regular operators of the machine. I

If still further blade tensioning movement is required, the setscrews 54 are released and the position of the knurled nut 53 on the bearing Manual dram rotation In adjusting the cutter bands I or in replacing worn cutters with a new set of bands, it is convenient to rotate the drums 5 and 6 at slow speed or manually. The upper drum 5 is fitted with a gear 58 positioned inside the left-hand end (as viewed in Fig. 3) and secured to one of the spiders 33 by cap screws 51. A turning bar or rod 58, insertable axially into the end of the drum, is formed at one end with gear teeth 59 which mesh with the teeth of the gear 56. The bar 58 is of suflicient length to extend from the drum gear 56 out through the side frame I and is formed at its outer end with a turning crank 60 by means of which the rod can be rotated manually to drive the drum. The annular space between the inside of the drum shell and the teeth on the gear 55 is just sufiicient in radial depth to receive the toothed end of the rotatable rod and to hold the gear teeth in mesh. A sleeve bearing 6| formed on a bracket 62 secured to the end of the drum suspension arm 20 slidingly receives the rotatable rod 58 t support the latter as it is turned to rotate the drum. When not in use, the rod 58 is withdrawn axially to disengage the gear 59 from the drum gear 56 and is removed from the machine through the sleeve 6|.

Loading conveyor Articles such has bread loaves to be processed in the machine of the present invention are deposited by the operator on a driven loading or infeed conveyorof the endless belt type. This conveyor is at the top of the machine and comprises an endless flexible belt 64 which may be of rubber, fabric, or woven metal screen construction. The belt is carried by end rotatable members or cylinders 65 and 66 which are secured on shafts 6'! and 68 respectively. The shafts are rotatably mounted in aligned sleeve journals 69 formed transversely on the ends of threaded rods I0. These rods are disposed at right angles to the shafts supported thereby and are received in openings formed in the two end cross members H and I2.

The cross members II and I2 are secured as by screws I4 threaded into the ends of the membars to depending flanges 13. (Fig. of infeed conveyor apron I5 which extends throughout the length of the infeed conveyor and underlies the upper run of the endless belt 64. The threads ed rods III which. carry the journals for the conveyor shafts each receive nuts I6 which are tightened against opposite sides of the end cross members H and I2 'of the conveyor. By altering the positions of. the nuts I6 on the several threaded rods, the relative positions of the axes of? the conveyor rotatable members 65 and 66 can be adjusted and the distance between the rotatable members can be altered to vary the tension in the endless belt 60.

At its infeed end the loading conveyor is pivotally supported by bolts 19 rotatable in brackets I8 secured to the cross member 3 of the main supporting structure. The pivot bolts I9 are aligned with one another and threaded into support elements 80 secured to the. ends of the apron side flanges I3 and the cross member II. By this arrangement the loading conveyor may be swung about the horizontal axis of the pivot bolts I9 between its normal substantially horizontal position (shown in Figs. 1 and 2) and raised. position. (shown in Fig. 7). In the latter position the raised conveyor permits ready access thereunder to the article advancing mechanism of the machine and t the blades and blade spacing mechanism.

Thesup ort elements 80 are formed with elongated slots to receive the attaching bolts and screws which. secure them in place. Thi slipjoint arrangement permits the loading conveyor to be shifted bodily in a longitudinal direction and the discharge end can be shifted laterally for adjustment with respect to certain companion mechanism including a booster roll I I4, a gate I21, and bars i i? of a carrier or article transfer device. to be later described... Dimensional pile-up dueto matching finished and unfinished surfaces inv the final assembly of the machine is also compensated for inthis slip-joint.

To support the conveyor in raised position a pivoted or hinged prop Si is secured to a crossrod 82, the ends of the latter being loosely received for rotation in journal brackets. 83 secured to. depending ears.- formed on the. ends of the cross member I2. The prop 8| issecured as-by welding to the. center of the cross rod 82, the latter bein rotatable in the brackets in moving the prop aI from its retracted position (shown in Figs. 1 and 2) to its extended position (shown in Fig. '7). Cotter pins 8% retain the rod ends in the pivot brackets 83. To hold the prop BI in raised. position the lower end thereof carries av spring pressed plunger (Fig. 8) receivable in a reces formed in a cross member 86 which is supported between depending ears 8! formed on the ends of the conveyor cross member I I. The plunger 85 has a finger lift 88 connected thereto by means of which the. plunger can be withdrawn from the detent recess in the member 86 so as to release the prop BI, permitting the prop to be lowered to its conveyor supporting position. When in its lowered position, the prop 8| rests on the conveyor apron I14 and a hole in the latter receives the plunger 85 to retain the prop in correct position. Thus the plunger or finger 85, by engagement in the apron, prevents the prop from being accidentally dislodged when it is supporting the conveyor in raised position. The prop 8| also serves, when in raised position. as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, as a support for the bottom run of the endless flexible belt 64. Thus the prop prevents sagging of, the belt and keeps it out of the way should the operator find it necessary to have access to the forwarding conveyor during operation of the machine.

To drive the loading conveyor the shaft 66 car rying the conveyor rotatable element 66 is extended through one of the journal sleeves 6.9 at the discharge end of the conveyor and has a driven spur gear 90 keyed thereto. This gear is so positioned as to mesh with a drive gear 91 secured on a hollow shaft 92 journaled in a supplemental side frame 93 (Fig. 18). The frame member 93 and another supplemental side. frame 94 are disposed in spaced parallel relation and. are carried.

by the main side frames. The upper ends of the main side frames I and 2 and the upper ends of the supplemental side frames 93 and 94 are disposed in spaced relation with respect to one another, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the loading conveyor serves to bridge the space between the separated upper ends of the frame members of the supporting structure. The hollow shaft 92 extends through the frame member 93 and carries a gear 95 which is keyed in place and is larger in diameter than the gear 9 I.

Adjacent the gear 95 the shaft 92 also carries a pair of clutch sprockets. 96 and 9'! in sideby side relation. While the gears SI and 95 are secured on the hollow shaft 92' as by pins or keys for rotation therewith, the clutch sprockets 96 and 97 are individually rotatable on the shaft. Each of the clutch sprockets is formed with a keyway 98 into which. may be moved a spring pressed traveling key, I00 carried in an axially movable rod I 0! slidable endwise in the hollow shaft 92. The outer end of the shaft 92 is supported in a journal I02 in a bracket I03 secured to. the supplemental frame 93. a by bolts I04. The shaft journal I02 serves to retain the clutch sprockets on the hollow shaft and is formed with extension ears I05 in which is journaled a verticalv shaft I06 carrying a gear I01 which meshes with circular teeth I08 formed on the rod MI. The upper end of the vertical shaft I06 is formed to fit and is pinned in a mating recess formed in the bottom of a rotatable socket element I I0 journaled in a laterally extending integral top flange portion III of the supplemental side frame. The rotatable element H0 has a non-circular recess to receive the end of a crank for turning the element so that the shaft I06 may be rotated to thereby move the slidable rod IOI axially into and out of the hollow shaft 92. The key I00 carried by the slide rod I0! is formed with a slopin crown and tapered side edges so as to facilitate moving it into and out of the keyways 98 formed in the clutch sprock- 1 l ets. Thus the hollow shaft 92 may be driven by either the sprocket 96 or the sprocket 91, depending upon the position of the traveling key I95. This key extends through an axial slot I I2 formed in the hollow shaft 92, and in the position shown in Fig. 18 the key is arranged to establish a driving connection between the shaft and the sprocket 91. V

Booster roller Extending across the space between the supplemental side frames 93' and 94 at the top of thestructure is a rotatable member or booster. roller H4. This roller is arranged to receive articles moving off the discharge end of the loading conveyor and thus may be said to be located at the infeed station of the mechanism. The roller is a composite device formed of a number of fiber, rubber, or wood spools I I5 secured on a shaft I I5 journaled at its ends in the supplemental side frames 93 and 94. One end of the shaft H6 extends through the top of the supplemental side frame 93 and has a gear I I1 secured thereon and meshed with large gear 95 carried by the hollow shaft 92. The gear II! is smaller than the gear 90 of the loading conveyor while the gear 9! which drives the loading conveyor is of less diameter than the gear 95 which drives the booster roller. This gear arrangement effects a relatively high speed drive of the booster roller II4 as compared to the speed of the. loading conveyor. For example, in the arrangement illustrated in the drawings the peripheral speed of the booster roller is about three times the peripheral speed of the driven rotatable element or cylinder 55 of the loading conveyor.

The discharge end of the loading conveyor is adjustably supported on brackets I I8 (Figs. 9 and 13) secured on the inside of the supplementa1 side frames 93 and 94 and formed with lateral extensions which are fitted with screw posts II9 that can be raised and lowered in the brackets for adjustment and which engage the underside of the end cross member I2 of the loading conveyor. The upper run of the conveyor belt 54 is aligned with the booster roller II4 automatically each time the conveyor is lowered after having been raised to provide access to the mechanism so that articles can move readily from the belt onto the roller. A cross element I29 is positioned in the bight between the conveyor rotatable member 56 and the booster roller I It to support articles moving therebetween. Thi cross element underlies extension portions of the conveyor apron I5 at the ends of the rotatable element 65 and is secured in place by screws I2I which extend through the apron and are threaded into the cross element.

As shown in Fig. 6, the spools H5 are axially separated from one another providing spaces which receive laterally extending finger I22 of the cross element I29. These lateral extensions insure the support of articles moving onto the booster roller from the loading conveyor.

The cross element I also prevents soft articles, such as extremely moist bread loaves, from being pulled down between the endless feed belt 64 and booster roll l !4. This supporting action of the cross element I29 and the fingers I22 is especially desirable in the case of articles which are not lifted off the booster roll by the fingers I44 later described. In such case the article remains on the end of the loading conveyor and the booster roll while. the latter are moving under power. Without the cross support element I29 and the fingers I22, articles like round or oval 12 sectioned rye or Vienna loaves not lifted off the belt and booster roll by fingers I45 would be subject to being drawn down between the conveyor belt and the booster roll, or between the booster roll and the article arresting gate I27.

Along one side of the loading conveyor is a guide rail $23 which is engageable with the ends of articles placed on the loading conveyor to guide the movement of the articles onto the booster roller. The guide I23 is secured on the ends of rods I24 adjustably mounted in brackets I25 which permit the guide 523 to be moved laterally over the conveyor belt 54 for proper positioning of the articles thereon.

Article intercepting gate Alongside the booster roller II4 is mounted a vertically reciprocable gate I2'I which is disposed to intercept articles moving ofi the loading conveyor and across the booster roller. This gate may be in the form of a substantially fiat plate which is secured at its ends to spaced vertical slide members I23 guided for up and down endwise movement in recesses I29 formed 'in the inner faces of the supplemental side frames 9 and 9E. The lower ends of the slides I28 are connected by adjustable length links I39 to the ends of levers IBI secured on a cross shaft I32 journaled in the supplemental side frames. An arm I33 extending from one of the levers I3I has a roller journaled on its end which follows or rides on the periphery of a cam I54 mounted on a rotatable driven shaft I journaled in the supplemental side frames'of the machine. The lower roller is held against the cam by a helical coil tension spring I 25 connected to pivot pin I46 in the end of one of the lever arms I3 I.

The cam i34 is rotatable to different relative positions on the shaft I35, being restrained against axial movement between a bushing I35 in the side frame 94 and a block I'3'I secured on the squared end of the shaft I35 by a pin I38. A spring pressed plunger I39, slidable in the block I37 and radially offset from the rotational axis of the shaft on which the block i mounted, is receivable in any one of a number of recesses I formed in the cam I34 so as to establish a driving connection between the shaft I35 and the cam. A rod I4! connected to th plunger I39 extends through a threaded bushing in the end of the block I31 so that the operator of the machine can withdraw the plunger I39 and move the cam I34 to a different rotative position on the shaft, after which the plunger is released to interfit in another of the cam recesses I40. In this manner the timing of the movement of the ate I2: is adjusted with respect to the rotation of the shaft I35. This serves to adjust the movement of the gate with respect to the article advancin mechanism, as will later appear. The block I3! is also formed with an axial socket I42 inside of which is a transverse pin I43 that can be engaged by the end of a hand crank for rotating the shaft I35 and thereby moving the gate and the article advancing mechanism manually for adjustment and service.

During the operation of the machine, articles are advanced over the loading conveyor in side by side abutting relation and onto the booster roller l M. With the gate I21 in the lowered position illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 9, and 11, the leading article is free to move over the booster roller and onto the reciprocable carrier or article transfer device to be later described. The gate I27 remains in lowered position while the cam follower side frames.

shafts 'I5I. are secured against rotation in the aceaam on the arm I33. moves across the low region of the cam I3 !v (Fig. 1). As the cam is rotated t bring the high portion of the cam under the cam roller, the arm I33 is moved in a clockwise direc tion (Fig. l) which raises the arms Itii and thereby lifts the. gate IZ'I to the raised position, shown by the broken lines in Fig. 9 and in full lines in Fig. 13.

The relatively high rotational p ed of the booster roller H4 serves to advance each article moving thereover onto the carrier at a sufliciently high rate of speed to separate it from the succeeding article on the loading conveyor. space thus provided between the leading article and the succeeding article permits the gate I2! to'be started upwardly in the clear. Before the gate reaches its uppermost position the next or succeeding article has been moved onto the booster roller II from the loading conveyor and a number of laterally extending finger lifts I 44 secured along the bottom of the gate I27 engage underneath the front bottom edge of the article the booster roller to accommodate the lift fingers 2-3 I44. permitting the latter to pass the booster roller in terleaved. relation during the up and down movement of the stop.

' Carrier Each article or bread loaf released by the gate I2! is accelerated. and. moved rapidl by the booster roller lid and is individually received by an article transfer device or carrier comprising aplurality of spaced parallel rods M? which are each L-shaped and have the ends'of their offset angularly disposed portions Hi8 secured to a cross member or bar I49 which is mounted horizontally between the supplemental side frames 93 and St for reciprocating rotative movement. of the carrier crossbar M3 are received in sleeves I50 (Fig. 19) carried just inside the supplemental side frames on the ends of, stub shafts, i5! journaled in flanged bushings I52 supported by. the The carrier member I 59 and the sleeves. I by removable pins In case of damage to the carrier it. may be readily removed as a unit by withdrawing the pins I53 and slidin the sleeves I56 axially along the. carrierb-ar I49,

safety overload release positioned outside the supplemental side frame 93. This releasable drive (Fig. 19) comprises an arm I55 keyed on the outer end of one of the stub shafts I5 I. The end of the arm I55 carries a spring pressed ball detent I56 which is receivable in. a recess formed in the face of a bushing 51 secured in a drive plate or member I58. Hub I59 of this drive plate is rotatably mounted on the stub shaft which, carries the arm I55 between the arm and one of the iournals; I52. The end of the drive member I58 is connected by an adiustable length link its to the end of an adjustable length arm IIiI secured on The The ends 14 transmitted tothe carrier cross member. I49 through the adjustable length arm I6 I, the drive member I58 and the arm I55, the ball detent I56 establishing a releasabl drive connection between the parts.

Spring I 62 (Fig. 19) which is axially compressed and retains the ball detent in the bushing I51 is held under compression by a screw I63 which can be moved to different positions in the threaded recess provided therefor in a lateral extension of the arm I55. Thus may be varied the spring compression and the carrier actuating force that can be transmitted through the safety release. Should an overload be applied to the carrier bars I 41, as by misalignment of an article or the introduction of foreign material intothe article transfer mechanism, the ball detent I5 6 rides out of the recess in the bushing I51 and during the continued oscillation or reciprocation of the drive member I55 the ball rides back and forth over an .arcuate path on lateral extensions I6 4 (Fig. 11) formed on the drive member I58.

Safety switch A spring pressed element or rod I6 5 is slidable axially in the bushing I 5! carried by the drive member I58 and extends through the bottom of the recess in the bushing and into engagement with the ball detent lit. The rod I fiii is axially aligned with the ball detent and the spring I62 acting on the latter and its outer end is guided in an insulating bracket IE'I carried on the inside of the drive member I58. Helical coil compression spring I 6-8, which surrounds the rod element I6 6 in an enlarged recess in the bushing I51, bears against a collar I69 on the rod and is weaker than the helical coil compression spring I52 which holds the ball detent in position. Thus the rod element IE6 is moved against the force in the spring I 68 into a retracted position by the ball detent.

A cap I79 adjustably mounted on the protruding end of the rod element I 65 overlies and engages plunger I "'II of an electric switch II2 mounted on the insulating bracket 161 of the drive member I58. The switch H2 is connected by wires I13 in the electrical circuit which controls the energization of the entire machine or group of machines with which the apparatus of the present invention is used. For example, the switch I'IZ may be connected in the armature circuit of a mast-er control switch used to energize circuits for all the electric motors driving a com bination bread slicing and bread wrapping mechanism including a wrapping machine, a conveyor system for the wrapper, and a slicing machine having a motor such as th motor I5 actuating the endless cutter band's.

If for any reason, such as an overload in the carrier or article transfer mechanism, the ball detent I 56 is caused to ride. out of the recess in the bushing of the drive member I58, the rod element IE6 is released for axial movement by the compressed spring i-id so that the cap Milengages and depresses the plunger ill to actuate the switch I72. Such actuation. of the control switch Lie-energizes the armature holding the master control. electric switch mentioned, which immediately de-energizes all the electrical power circuits in the machine or combination of machines, preventing injury and damage to the parts. This safety switch arrangement is reset after such a de-energizing action by moving the ball detent I55 back into the recess in the bushing I51, The ball detent engages and shifts the rod element I96 axially releasing the switch plunger I1I so that the master switch armature circuit may be re-energized.

Forwarding conveyor The articles received by the shuttle carrier or article transfer device are deposited by the bars I41, one at a time, on a forwarding conveyor which moves the articles into and through the slicing mechanism. The forwarding conveyor is of the flight feed type providing an individual pocket for each loaf. In their movement over the forwarding conveyor, advancing articles are supported on a downwardly inclined apron 514 mounted between the supplemental side frames 93 and 94. This apron terminates at its upper end adjacent the driven shaft I35 which carries the cam I34 previously mentioned in connection with the article intercepting gate and the oscillating carrier.

On the shaft I35 just inside the supplemental side frames 93 and 34 are sprockets IE5 (Fig. 12) which rotate with the shaft and support and drive a pair of spaced parallel, endless side belts or chains I15. These endless chains have upper runs which extend forwardly in the machine along the sides of the article supporting apron I14 and are trained around and supported by forward sprockets I11 (Fig. 11) carried by stub shafts disposed at the forward end of the conveyor apron at the sides of the latter and supported by conveyor side members mounted inside the supple mental side frames.

The bottom or return runs of the endless side chains are carried under drive sprockets I19 secured on main conveyor drive shaft 589 for rotation therewith. Each of the endless side chains I19 is also carried over an idler sprocket I BI mounted on a stub shaft I32 adjustably mounted in an elongated slot I33 formed in one of the supplemental side frames.

A number of equally spaced article advancing flights I85 are each .pivotally connected at their ends to the side chains I15. Rotation of the main conveyor drive shaft I89 thus drives the side chains I19 in synchronism, advancing the flights I85 over the apron 14 of the forwarding conveyor. The flights are supported in upright positions by laterally extending feet which ride along the apron or a track provided therefor. At the discharge end of the forwarding conveyor, the feet of the flights ride off the conveyor apron or track so that the flights can drop downwardly below the level of the apron as the side chains I16 are carried around the forward sprockets I11. The side chains I16 in rotating the upper sprockets I which are secured on the shaft I thus serve to drive the latter and thereby actuate the cam I34 which moves the article intercepting stop I21 and the carrier bars I41 all in synchronized timed relation.

Conveyor speed control Movement of the articles on the loading conveyor is periodically interrupted by the intercepting gate $21, the belt 94 sliding under the articles a portion of the time during each cycle. At a given rate of handling articles in the machine, the time required to transfer a relatively narrow article from the loading conveyor onto the carrier is less than the time for a wide article. Accordingly, operation of the loading conveyor belt 64 at a constant speed regardless of the sizes of articles being processed would result in small articles being subjected to considerable abrading action by the loading conveyor belt.

This difficulty is largely overcome by providing a change speed mechanism which enables the operator to drive the loading conveyor belt at a relatively high rate of speed when large wide articles are being processed, or to drive the conveyor at a relatively low rate of speed when small or narrow articles are being processed.

The driven shaft I35 has one end that extends through the supplemental frame 94 and mounts the cam I34. Its other end extends through the supplemental frame 93 and mounts sprockets I86 and I81 which are of different sizes and which carry endless chains I88 and I89 trained around the clutch sprockets 96 and 91, respectively, mounted on the hollow shaft 92 previously mentioned in connection with the loading conveyor. Either of the sprockets 96 or 91 may be drivingly connected to the hollow shaft 92 by means of the shiftable or traveling key I99, the sprocket not so connected, merely running idle on the shaft.

While the sprockets 96 and 91 are of the same size, the sprocket I81, being larger in diameter than the sprocket I86, drives the endless chain I89 at a relatively faster rate of speed than the endless chain I89 is driven. Accordingly, if the key I99 is in the position shown in Fig. 18, the loading conveyor apron 94 is driven at a relatively fast rate of speed suitable for handling relatively wide articles or bread loaves. If small articles or loaves are to be handled by the apparatus, the key I09 is shifted to establish a driving connection between the sprocket 96 and the hollow shaft 92. In such case the loading conveyor belt 94 is driven through the endless chain I88 at a relatively slow rate of speed suitable for handling narrow articles or loaves of bread.

Article stop The carrier bars I41 are oscillated between a receiving position in which they are inclined upwardly toward the discharge end of the loading conveyor, as shown in Fig. 11, and adis'charge position in which they are inclined downwardly substantially in alignment with the apron I14 of the forwarding conveyor. Each article deposited on the carrier bars I41 slides along the latter and comes to rest against a stop I99. This stop is formed of a metal plate having an upper portion bent backward at an angle so as to present a substantially flat side to an article, such as a bread loaf, resting on the inclined carrier bars I41.

The stop I99 is adjustable so that it can be advanced or retracted while the machine is in operation to place it in the most advantageous position for the particular size of article being handled. It is secured to a depending flange I9I formed along the forward edge of a shiftable horizontal plate or apron I92 which extends across the top of the machine between the supplemental side frames 93 and 94. The plate I92 is supported by angle members I93 secured to the inside faces of the supplemental side frame members along the top edges of the latter. A pair of racks I94 are secured along the underside of the plate or apron I92 adjacent the edges of the latter and underlie the edges of the horizontal flanges of the angle members I93 so as to hold the apron in place against the angle members for back and forth sliding movement. Extending across the top of the machine beneath the slidable plate I92 is a rotatable rod I95 journaled in the supplemental side frames and having secured thereto pinion gears I96 which mesh with the racks I94. The outer edge of the top flange I II of the supplemental frame I94 is formed with a depending portion I 91 which journals a turning element I99 secured on one end of the shaft 195. The turning element I28 is formed with an internal non circular or 'square socket for receiving the end of asuitable turning tool 'or'crank by means of which the shaft I95 can be rotated to advance and retract the racks Hi4 whichshiftthe article'stop I 90.

A-friction brake 209 (Fig. 15) in the form of a split block embraces the shaft 195 between the supplemental frame 94 and the frame flang (9'3. The blockis tightened on the shaft by a bolt 20! so that the grip ofthe block on the shaft can be varied. 'I he brake block is restrained against rotation by the top lateral flange H] of the sup- Plemental frame. p

A cover 2-li2 extends across the space between thesupplemental side frames 93 and '94 at the end of the machine and is continuous around the upper corner of the machine and onto the top thereof. The top portion 203 of the cover overlaps the movable plate or apron 1'92 and has sliding engagement therewith. This construction provides a. substantially complete enclosure for the articleforwarding mechanism of the machine,

the supplemental side frames 93 and 94 being The size of the opening through the top of the machine through which articles move onto the carrier bars M1 is regulated by the shiftable apron or plate I92 so as to be no larger than required. Thus dust and foreign matter is excluded from the interior of the machine to a considerable extent. A cross member 204 extends between the supplemental side frames 93 and 94 and is secured to'the latter by bolts 205.

Articles advancing over the conveyor apron H4 are engaged at their ends by adjustable guides 206 carried by arms 20'! mounted on oppositely threaded ends of a cross rod 208 journaled in bracket extensions 209 on the main side frames 1 and 2. Rotation of the rod 288, as by a suitable crank or turning tool inserted into a square socket 210 (Fig. 1) formedin one end of the rod, opcrates to move the guides 2% toward orj'away from one another in adjusting the apparatus to accommodate articles of different sizes. As the articles are advanced over the forwarding conv'eyor they are also engaged by a pendant apron 2-H pivoted at its upper end for free swinging movement on a rod carried by an article holddown or extension 2I2 of a guide assembly. fastened to the upper blade spacing unit. This apron yieldingly restrains the forward movement of the articles and prevents them from toppling over.

Discharge conveyor Articles advanced to and through the endless hand cutters] by the forwarding conveyor are received in sliced form on a discharge conveyor 'which is of the flight type. The discharge conv'eyor comprises a pair of spaced parallel beam elements 214 supported cantilever fashion by the main side frames I and 2. An article supporting apron 215 extends along the length of the discharge conveyor between the side beam members 2M and has a receiving end which is in alignment with the bottom guide fingers 9 of the spacing and guiding mechanism previously mentioned. Side guides 2 I 6, adjustable toward and away from one another and carried by brackets 21?, engage the ends of articles received on the conveyor apron H and retain the slices together as the articles are advancedover the apron 2 I 5 by flights 213 (Fig. 22) The discharge conveyor flights are mounted betwee' spacecparanei endless chains driven by k s shaft m joi rnalfl at the inner ends of the conveyor beam members 214. On one end of the shaft 2 i 8 is a sprocket 21 -9 carrying a chain 228 which is driven by a sprocket 22! carried by the housing of a one point clutch to be later described and which is secured on main shaft 222.

Drive The main drive shaft is rotatably mounted in journals 223 carried by brackets attached to either the main side frames or a cross member extending between the latter. A drive sprocket 225 also secured on the one point clutch housing is connected by a chain 226 to a sprocket 221 secured on an intermediate shaft 228 journaled in brackets carried by the main side frames.

The conveyor main drive shaft 180 is driven from the intermediate shaft 228 by means of a chain 229 trained around a sprocket 230 secured on the shaft 228 and a sprocket 23! which forms part of a compensator structure mounted on the conveyor drive shaft I80. This compensator comprises a block 232 (Figs. 1 and 12) secured on the end of the shaft use and having a hand grip extension 2233 for manual rotation of the shaft. The sprocket 23! is rotatably mounted on the shaft we and is secured to a circular disc member 234. A spring pressed manually retractable plunger 235 slidably mounted in the compensator block 234 has an end receivable in any one of a number of recesses 236 formed in the compensator disc 23d for the purpose of establishing a driving connection between the compensator block and thedriven disc 23 1. By withdrawing the plunger 235 the conveyor shaft 5313 may be rotated with respect to the shaft 228 so as to adjust the position of the forwarding conveyor flights 35 back and forth with respect to the flights 2 i 3 of the discharge conveyor, the latter flights moving in synchronized relation to the shaft 228 through the drive connections previously described. Thus the article advancing cycle of one of the conveyors may be advanced or retarded with respect to the article advancing cycle of the other conveyor,

The article advancing mechanism ofthe present machine may be driven by any suitable source of power connected to the main drive shaft 222.

I In the case of a bread slicing machine to be coupled to a wrapping machine, it is preferable to drive the article advancing mechanism of the slicerfrom the wrapping machine so as to provide for the delivery of sliced articles into the Wrapper in properly timed relation to the cyclic operation of the latter. Such a driving arrangement has previously been utilized and the present invention provides certain improvements in the I drive of the article advancing mechanism of the slicing machine in relation to and in com-- bination with a wrapping machine drive. A suitable wrapping machine to which the slicer of the present invention may be coupled is that disclosed in Patent No. 2,260,324, issued October 28, 1941.

The main drive chain or belt actuated by the wrapping machineis indicated in the pres-'- ent drawings at 238 and corresponds to the chain 6'? shown in the patent referred to. This chain is trained around a sprocket 239 secured on a shaft 2% rotatably mounted in journals carried by the side frame of the machine.

CycZiZed overload release on the shaft 2%. which is driven by the wrap ping cycle of the wrapping machine, is mounted a cyclized overload release indicated generally at 24!. This device, the details of which are illustrated in Figs. 21 and. 22, comprises a sleeve 253 having a circular radial flange 254 at one end, the sleeve being secured for rotation with the shaft 240 by means of a key 255. A body member 255 is received on sleeve 253 and secured against relative rotation by a key 251. One end of the body 256 has an integral circular plate portion 258 which is spaced from the circular flange 254 of the inner sleeve. In such space is received a 'driven assembly comprising circular plate 259 and a sprocket 242. The sprocket and plate are secured together by screws 26I and one surface of the plate 259 is disposed flatwise against the end surface of the plate portion 258 formed on the body member 256. The driven assembly is rotatable on the sleeve 253, there being a cylindrical bushing 262 interposed between the parts. A flat antifriction bushing 263 is interposed between the sprocket 242 and the flange 254 of the sleeve. A suitable means, not shown, retains the body member 256 in fixed relation to the sleeve 253 so as to confine the driven assembly'between the sleeve flange 254 and the plate portion 258 of the body member.

Arms 265, 266, and 261 are formed on the body member 256 and extend radially therefrom. These arms, which may be integral with the body member and the plate 258, are of different radial lengths and at their extremities are formed with bores 268 which parallel the axis of rotation of the shaft 240. The bores 268 extend through the plate portion 258 of the body member and are spaced different radial distances from the rotational axis of the device. Hardened steel balls 269 are received in the bores 268 and extend into mating sockets 210 formed in the confronting face of the circular plate 259 of the driven assembly. The steel balls are held against the plate 259 by helical coil compression springs 21! retained in the bores 268 and compressed by plugs 212 threaded into the outer ends of the bores. The body member 256 may be formed of a light metal casting and in such case hardened steel sleeves 213 may be inserted by press fits in the bores 268 to guide the balls 269.

The driving torque of the shaft 240 is transmitted to the body member 256 through the sleeve 253 and synchronous rotational motion is imparted to the driven assembly through the spring pressed balls 269 which serve to lock together the driven plate 259 and the driving plate 258. Around the driven sprocket 242 is trained a chain 243 that in turn drives sprocket 244 of a compensator or cycle adjusting device 245 mounted on one end of the main shaft 222.

Should a stoppage or accident cause an overload in the conveyor or escapement mechanisms of the slicing machine, the sprocket 242 would slow down or stop and the balls 269, carried at a constant rotational speed in the body member 256, would ride out of the recesses 21!] in the plate member 259 and retract into the bores 268. Since the several arms on the body member 256 are of different radial lengths, the ball 269 carried in any one of the arms will not become engaged in any of the recesses formed in the driven plate 259 to accommodate the other balls. The balls 269 will become engaged in the corresponding recesses 216 to re-establish adriving connection between the parts only at one point during each relative rotation Of the 20 body member 256' with respect to the driven plate 259.

Should the overload or stoppage be relieved during a single revolution of the driven shaft 249, the slicing machine will pick up in correct timed relation to the wrapping machine. So long as the overload or stoppage continues, however,

the body member 255 of the overload release will continue to rotate relative to the driven plate member 259 and the sprocket 242, the balls 269 riding into and out of the corresponding recesses on each revolution. By this arrangement of a cyclized overload release which is arranged to pick up at only a single relative rotational position, the predetermined timed relationship between the cyclic operation of the wrapping machine and the cyclic operation of the slicing machine is maintained and adjustment of the conveyors is not necessary after a stoppage due to an overload.

The use of a plurality of torque transmitting balls in the device provides smoother operation of the overload and permits finer adjustment. Excessive strain in the parts is avoided and a light weight economical device is obtained.

The compensator device 245 is similar to and functions like the pin carrying block 232 and apertured plate 234 carried by the shaft I89 and previously described in connection with the forwardly conveyor drive. A suitable construction for the compensator is that disclosed in prior Patent No. 2,319,911, issued July 10, 1945, and illustrated in that patent in Figs. 5 and 8.

By means of the compensator 245 the rotative position of the main shaft 222 may be adjusted with respect to the wrapper drive so as to simultaneously and synchronously advance or retract all the article advancing instrumentalities of the slicing machine with respect to the cycle phase of the wrapper so as to adjust the timing of the article discharge from the slicer in relation to the cyclic operation of the wrapper. Such adjustment may be required, for example, when the size or character of the article being processed or sliced is altered.

should a stoppage occur in the conveyor system or article advancing mechanisms of the slicing machine, causing an increase in the torque transmitted through the shaft 240, the overload release drive 241 is arranged to slip, thereby allowing the slicing machine article advancing mechanisms to stop while the wrapper (and the drive chain 238) continues in motion.

The main shaft 222 which carries the compensator 245 on one end drives the article advancing mechanisms indirectly through a onepoint clutch, indicated diagrammatically at 246. This one-point clutch is of conventional construction, preferably such as that illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 of prior Patent No. 2,316,171, issued April 13, 1943. The arrangement of the one-point clutch is such that the conveyor drive sprockets 22! and 225, previously mentioned, are secured on the clutch drum or housing corresponding to the drum I83 of the prior patent for rotation therewith and in synchronism with one another. The actuating linkages, levers, solenoid and related parts for the one-point clutch are omitted from the drawings but may be similar to those shown in the prior patent referred to. A one-point clutch of this character in the driving connection between the shaft 222 and the sprockets 221 and 225, retains the phase relationship between the driving and driven parts when the o n ction is i e-established after an 

